Stopping incevik at 8 weeks?

My husband is having terrible side effects with the incevik ( just finished 6 weeks). He was UND at 4 weeks and his doctor suggested stopping the incevik at 8 weeks. Has any one else done this? Will it effect the chance of SVR?

[willbb]

The SVR rate was slightly less by a few %  for patients in the "Tela "Advance" Trial with an RVR(Und. at  wk4) however still very good if the doctor discontinues Inci. because of unmanageable side effects.
Maybe in 2 weeks  things will change and he can reconsider at that time..
Good luck..
Will

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ByAudience/ForPatientAdvocates/ucm256328.htm

[can-do-man]

Below is the part that would concern me the most, as you can see there is quite the difference for people with CT or TT type between 12 weeks and 8 weeks........ If at all possible i would do the 12 weeks like is suggested by the experts.
-------------------------------
Influence of IL28B Polymorphism on Response to Telaprevir
In a retrospective analysis of the ADVANCE trial, patients with the IL28B CC genotype achieved higher SVR rates vs patients with the CT or TT genotypes. Indeed, in the T12PR arm, patients with the CC genotype achieved an SVR rate of 90% vs only 71% and 73% of patients with the CT and TT genotypes, respectively. Similarly, patients in the T8PR arm with the CC genotype achieved an SVR rate of 87% vs only 58% and 59% of patients with the CT and TT genotypes, respectively.

http://www.clinicaloptions.com/Hepatitis/Annual%20Updates/2011%20Annual%20Update/Modules/DAA%20Naive/Pages/Page%206.aspx

So if your a CT or TT your SVR rates go into the 50's instead of the 70's

[Cheesegrater]

Having UND at week 4 is excellent predictor of success. This UND must continue and the best way to do this is to stay the incevik if possible.

What are the symptoms?

While on telaprevir I developed intense nausea, I could not move without feeling like I was going to puke.
I tried gravol and it worked and I was able to keep my meds down.

You might find that people in this group may have better advice about side effects than your doctor. Your doctor may not have been  involved with clinical trials, where everyone learned how to deal with side effects. The people in this group have been through it all.

[pooh55811]

I don't have any data on stopping early. However, if it was me, before thinking about stopping the Incivek, I would seriously consider whether everything that can be done has actually been done to treat/eliminate the side effects.  I have found that many (most?) doctors seem to have no clue how bad some of these side effects are and they try to just tell people that it is the side effects and to use over the counter meds, etc., etc. They keep suggesting more over the counter meds which are often not strong enough to control the side effects of these drugs. It seems they just have no idea that some of these side effects might be game changers. In addition, most of the side effects that have been discussed on this forum, can and have been effectively dealt with and controlled when the proper medications (often prescription meds) (for rashes, nausea, vomiting, etc.) are ordered and/or when some other side effect controlling regimen is followed (such as for the anal and rectal issues).

If he is nauseated, is he on prescription anti-nausea meds. If he has rectal issues, especially if they are internal, is he keeping the stools firm (a must)  and using other helpful remedies (Prep. H cream, baby wipres, Prep. H supositories, xylocaine cream or desitin or something like that for external excoriation). If he has mental health issues/depression of others, is he under the care of a qualified psychiatrist and on meds to control this. If he has itching and/or a rash, is whatever he is taking for it actually working or is the itching driving him crazy. Benadryl and hydrocortizone cream are not strong enough or effective for all people. There are prescription meds that will probably work a lot better if he has rash and itching. If he is aneamic, is that being followed and treated (if necessary).

Obviously, I don't know all of his side effects and/or their severity, and only he can determine if he can tolerate them. But it would be a shame to risk the success (or lack of success) of treatment by stopping Incivek early if he is stopping treatment because the treatable side effects are not being addressed adequately. If the side effects can be controlled and treated, then maybe he could continue treatment.

Personal experience: I had some pretty bad side effects (anal/rectal, nausea/vomiting, rash/itching) and I have to say that for all three of those I had to be very proactive and assertive about treatment (for them). For the anal/rectal issues I had to figure out how to remedy them. The docs just did not seem to understand how bad it was. For the nauasea/vomiting issues and the rash/itching issue it took the docs way too long to move on to the prescription meds when the over the counter meds were obviously not effective. I had to be pretty assertive. Once I got to the derm doc (for the rash) I had no problem and got the correct meds that actually worked. (I think the others, probably because it is not their field and maybe because they don't realize how severe it is, just have no clue how to control rashes, especialy systemic rashes.) Also, once I (finally) got on Zofran, my nausea and vomiting was controlled. I could eat again!

It makes a world of difference if the side effects are being treated appropriately. Hopefully, he and the doctor (and/or specialty consultists if needed) will try to alleviate the side effects so he can continue treatment.

I wish him and you the very best.

[frijole]

There are a lot of excellent suggestions here and I think pooh has put the issue of side effects on the table.  My doctor has told me he has not had anyone fail Incevik yet but that he has had patients quit due to the side effects.  Only your husband can gauge whether they are so unbearable that he cannot continue to treat.  As pooh said, sx can be a game changer and you must make it clear to your doctor that he cannot continue without help.

If your husband does go off treatment after 8 weeks (and I hope he does not) , will you please continue to update the forum on his success or failure?  All we have are statistics from the trials and I would like to see what is happening in the real treatment world.

frijole